The beauty of Barbara Dee's books lies in how they are able to tackle heavy topics, like sexual harassment and cancer, empathetically and age-appropriately for children.
Little E is very into middle-grade contemporary novels these days and would like to recommend the following titles by Barbara Dee 😊
In My Life in the Fish Tank, 12 year-old Zinnia has to learn how to cope with issues at home and in school when her older brother is diagnosed with a mental illness.
In Maybe He Just Likes You, the author explores harassment and unwanted attention through 12-year-old Mila, who learns how to find her voice and stand her ground against male schoolmates who have crossed the line.
In Halfway Normal, 12-year-old Norah finds returning to middle school trickier than expected after 2 years of treatment for leukemia.
In Truth or Dare, friendship is the focus in this coming-of age-story where Lia - after going away for summer - returns to find her relationship with her four best friends changed.
10-year-old Little E says, "There are a lot of drama and conflicts in the books which make the stories interesting. They also let me understand more about important topics like sexual harassment, mental illness and puberty."
And that's the beauty of well-written MG contemporary novels that address such heavy topics empathetically and age-appropriately for children. I would recommend these books for those 10 years and up.
We got these from Book Depository and @sgbookdeals (I wasn't able to find the author's books at some of the major local bookstores, unfortunately) and looking forward to getting the rest of Barbara Dee's titles 😊
Disclaimer: We paid for our books, and my opinions and reviews here are strictly my and my family’s own.
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